Biodegradable Vascular Grafts

The use of biodegradable polymers for vascular reconstruction has two major advantages: the elimination of chronic foreign body reaction and the regeneration of arterial tissues including a nonthrombogenic pseudointima layer. However, it is well-known that the healing of human vascular tissues is very slow thus the risk of using biodegradable vascular grafts in human beings is the premature degradation of biodegradable vascular grafts. In this proposal, we are suggesting a novel method to accelerate the regeneration of arterial tissue, particularly the formation of a thrombus-free pseudointima lining of the graft. Phase I objective is to determine the feasibility to chemically modify surface characteristics of synthetic biodegradable polymers to control their adhesion characteristics for endothelial cells. Controlling the surface character of these polymers could a) lead to a better understanding of the interactions between cells and foreign materials during wound healing and b) significantly improve the biological and chemical properties of biodegradable polymers for use as new materials for the reconstruction of injured, diseased or aged human tissues and organs. The most important impact of this research is to provide the required knowledge basis for rendering synthetic biodegradable polymers to have the surface property that could selectively attract desirable cells for their subsequent attachment, growth and cellular functions.